Keeping Tabs: Events in and around Boston

Wednesday

Apr 23, 2008 at 12:01 AMApr 23, 2008 at 10:16 PM

It's time to go outside. The flowers are blooming and sheep are getting sheared (which are two events you can see this week). There's even a chance to see mostly naked men on stage. Sounds like fun doesn't it? And if you really want to get in the mood for the summer, read Keeping Tabs with the new Weezer single playing in the background.

Francis Ma

Curious? Then to Cambridge!: Festivals don’t always have to be about music or films. Sometimes they can be about science experiments. The Second Annual Cambridge Science Festival is a nine-day event with 200 free and open activates spread out around Cambridge. The activities include panels with respected scientists talking about various issues in the industry, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Museum of Science, and, of course, various science experiments meant to thrill the senses and open the mind. Visit www.cambridgesciencefestival.com for more detailed information. April 26- May 4, various locations and times in Cambridge. Tickets: Free or museum admission. Call 617-253-4003.

Hell is Other People: That’s the revelation in Jean Paul Sartre’s play “No Exit” when three people meet in hell and annoy the crap out of each other. Composer Andy Vores has taken that play and pushed it further, turning it into a one-act opera titled after Sartre’s play. I can only imagine what the celebrated Vores did with a play that essentially has three people barking at each other the entire time. April 25-27, Friday and Saturday 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m. at Boston Conservatory’s Zack Box Theatre. Tickets: $3-$7 (Free for members). Call 617-536-6340.

Flower Power: Every year the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston holds their “Art in Bloom,” an event where nearly 70 garden clubs in New England interpret some of the museum’s art with flowers. And it isn’t just the portraits with flowers in them. The clubs tackle sculptures and paintings of people, all through the magic of flower arranging. Some of it will be obvious, while others will only make you think. Saturday to Tuesday, April 26-29, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Admission: $6.50-$17. Call 617-267-9300.

Sheep Being Sheared: The wait, friends, is finally over. The 21st Annual Sheepshearing Festival is back with the herding dog demonstration, the crafts fair and, of course, the tent where the sheep go in bushy and come out lean, sexy and ready to hit the beach. As if that wasn’t enough, returning to the show will be members of Colonel Bailey’s Massachusetts 2nd Regiment who will recreate an 18th century militia encampment, which I’m assuming will be filled with filthy men cussing up a storm about the hated British. Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Gore Place in Waltham. Tickets: $10 (children 12 and under free). Call 781-894-2798.

Living with Parkinson’s: It’s one thing to hear someone is living with a disease, but it’s quite another for you to hear the description of the day-to-day struggle. That’s exactly what beloved local doctor Thomas Graboys has done in his book “Life in the Balance,” a stark look at his daily battle with Parkinson’s. The book is gut-wrenching and at times almost overwhelming. But to see Graboys in person, to experience his courage and warmth is truly inspirational. Don’t miss out on a local gem. Thursday, May 1, 7 p.m. at Brookline Booksmith. Tickets: Free. Call 617-566-6660.

Naked Men on Stage: And the best thing about this is that you won’t feel the shame and disgust you feel after a regular visit to the local strip club. Instead, you get some sensual theater with a side of laughs. The MIT Musical Theater Guild (I’m just as surprised as you are that MIT has a theater guild) is putting on a production of “The Full Monty,” inspired by the 1997 film. In this version, the unemployed steelworkers are from Buffalo, NY and after they see how much money their wives throw at male strippers, decide it’s time for a career change. But what they get in the process is friendship, renewed self-esteem and a couple of laughs. April 25-27, Friday and Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. and May 1-3, Friday-Sunday 8 p.m. at the Kresge Little Theater (next to the MIT Student Center) in Cambridge. Tickets: $12. Call 617-253-6294.

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